Rival
by wakingsilentandresigned
Summary: ONE SHOT- Christine Daae comes face to face with the last woman she wished to, Emma Carew.


A/N- So this will be out of context unless you are familiar with my Christine Daae role play blog. I have an AU where she Meets Edward Hyde/Henry Jekyll of Jekyll/Hyde the musical. I call it Hyde verse. The link to a short summary of the verse is on my profile along with the link to my blog where you can read about this verse as it happens

This was a drabble request based on the prompt "Rivalry" between Emma and Christine

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He'd let her go, Henry had set her free. He'd spoken to the police and somehow cleared things up, he'd even given her generous amount of money to try to re-start her life. There was enough money for her to go back to Perros. When he had told her the news, she did not want to leave mostly because she knew she'd never see him again. There was also a fear of living outside the home.

Once she stepped out of the house, she wasn't quite sure where to go. Going back to the opera house seemed out of the question, she'd have to find a hotel or other temporary housing. She was walking a little slower than normal as a delaying tactic. Her eyes were kept to the ground on the off chance she may run into someone she knew. She was about a block away from the home when she heard footsteps and light sniffling front of her. She lifted her eyes and saw none other than Emma Carew before her.

Emma looked a mess, there were dark circles under her eyes, her hair was hardly styled with loose pieces hanging and knotted. The redness of her nose, cheeks and eyes revealed the fact that she had been crying for a while. There were several pieces of paper clutched tightly in Emma's hand. Christine wondered what she was doing here, was she on her way to the townhouse to see Henry? But with her in such a state it could not be a pleasant visit. Christine thought about turning around and heading the other direction but before she made up her mind, Emma had spotted her.

"Miss Daae," She said her eyes narrowing and Christine swore she could feel them burning a hole through her. Christine froze, what did Emma know? "have you tired of seducing my fiance?"

_She knew_.

Christine grew paler than usual.. Henry had told he'd confessed everything to Emma via a letter, but that was weeks go, before she'd been intimate with Henry. Had he sent another letter? Is that why Emma was here? But why would she be this distressed about news she'd learned several weeks ago?

"W-What?" Was all Christine could manage for the moment. She was unsure of what Emma knew. She swallowed before finding the courage to speak again. "What are you speaking of?" Emma held up the note in her clenched fist.

"You slept with him!" Emma said through clenched teeth. "You made him break his vow!" Christine was angry, she had not forced Henry to do anything he did not want to.

"He chose to be with me." She said calmly fuming. Emma's hands were shaking and she could feel her nails digging into her palms through her lace gloves.

"Henry would never choose to lay with a whore!" Emma spat at her. The word stung more coming from another woman than it ever had coming from Hyde. Christine was furious now and her cheeks flared bright red. Emma knew nothing about her or who she was before Hyde had taken control of her life or that Christine had not chosen this.

"Do not call me that, you do not know of what you speak." Christine spoke in a warning tone.

"I may not but I do know I am speaking to a whore." Emma's venomous response was met with a slap across her cheek. Christine stared at her hand, she had never slapped anyone in her life. This is what the once promising soprano had become and she hated herself for it. She looked up at Emma still shocked by her action.

"I'm sorry I-" Christine was interrupted by Emma's hand colliding with her cheek. There was a long moment of silence between them as Christine held her cheek. "You had every right to do that…" She said trying to calm herself with slow breaths. "This foolishness must stop, we are grown women."

Emma wanted to argue but as much as she hated to admit it, Christine had a point. She closed her eyes for a moment and took a deep breath but she did not trust herself not to hurl more insults at the girl quite yet.

"I do love him…." Christine admitted quietly unable to look Emma in the eyes as she spoke. "I wish I didn't, I wish I was not this foolish and I wish more than anything that his heart did not belong to another."

Anger was the first reaction Emma had but then softened at the rest of her words. Henry still loved her, no matter what he had done with Christine, it was Emma who held his heart. Christine may have known Henry intimately but she would never know what it was like to be loved by him. He still loved her, perhaps there was a chance Emma could persuade him to change his mind about the engagement. It was what she had set out to do since she'd received Henry's dreadful note. She'd rewarded the messenger greatly to find out the address which the letter had come from. At that moment, Emma no longer cared about Christine and pushed her aside as she walked as fast as her feet would carry her down the street. She had to get to Henry and tell him she would forgive him for everything if only he would take her back.

Christine stood stupefied by Emma's actions before starting to follow her with the suspicion that she was headed toward the town house . Hyde may be in control by now and she could not subject Emma to that.

"Mademoiselle Carew, please!" She called after her but it seemed her words fell on deaf ears as Emma continued to walk at her fast pace. Emma smiled when she saw the numbers she'd been seeking above a door and quickly shuffled up the steps.

"Henry!" She said as she knocked on the door. "Please open the door! Henry!"

Just as Christine reached the bottom of the stoop a gunshot rang out from the upper level of the town house.


End file.
